God Bless the Enclave
by ChainzOfThePast
Summary: In a world where the Enclave are good guys, where the Lone Wanderer was born in Vault 101, and his mother is still alive! Who knows what will happen! Well stay tuned dear America and find out in this week's edition of God Bless the Enclave! Courtesy of Hubris Comics.
1. Chapter 1

**First off on my list is my sincerest apologies to those that have read my previous two stories and have been begging me for updates. I have gone over my stories that I have posted and well I'm not very impressed with myself to say the least. So along with this new story I am going to be SLOWLY going over and revising my two old ones. Now, for this story things will be different from the conventional Fallout Universe so hold onto your hats kiddies!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fallout, obviously.**

**2150 AD: **Deep within Vault 101 an ancient computer shuddered, gears turning, circuits sparking, and terminals blinking to life. It had begun.

**2162 AD: **From space the Earth is said to be more beautiful than any other jewel or metal that money can buy; years ago that may have been true. Now from space the Earth is cloudy and hazy. Yellow fog, like gaseous sulfur, taking place of the once snow white clouds, now covered the long ago pristine oasis called Earth. If one looked close enough they would see a shiny black satellite opening up, its solar panels extending to soak up energy, and the glowing blood red rings illuminating the main body. And if one looked even closer they would see a white E surrounded by twelve white stars…

**2255 AD: **Elder Lyons and the Brotherhood of Steel arrive in the Capital Wasteland.

**2259 AD: **The Lone Wanderer is born in Vault 101 to the Vault's resident doctor and scientist James Black and Overseer Catherine Black. Alphonse Almodovar is made Chief of General Vault Operations and his daughter, Amata, is born.

**2276 AD: **James sighed again, rubbing his temples in frustration at his son's antics. Looking up from his medical clip board to his son Darren, the corner of his lips twitching into a frown momentarily before speaking through clenched teeth,

"Son, I'm not going to tell you again. You are not sick, now get off the examination table and get to class. Now. You have to take your G.O.A.T today, no ifs, ands, or buts", at this Darren merely rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. The clinic door opened with a soft hissing sound, the hydraulic mechanisms whirring as they forced the door upwards, stopped the words that were about to roll off of James's tongue. In the pristine steel doorway stood Amata Almodovar in her soft blue Vault 101 jumpsuit, it hugging her curves in all the right places. Creamy white skin led up from her throat to her full cherry red lips, cute little pixie nose, soft chocolate eyes, and glossy midnight black hair pulled into a ponytail. Darren smirked at the sight before him; Amata stood with her hands on her hips, her cherry red lips pulled up into a slight smirk, and a devious glint in her usually kind eyes.

"Well, are you just going to stand there all day and stare or are we going head to Mr. Brotch's class? Hmm?", Amata spoke softly, her voice carrying through the unusually quiet Clinic. Darren quickly nodded and enthusiastically hopped off the Clinic table, his Vault 101 issue boots squeaking as he speed over to his best friend. Amata touched his arm gently, her blood red painted finger nails squeezing his arm gently as she leaned in close, her lips next to his ear as she quickly and quietly whispered to him. She pulled back, squeezed his arm in a comforting manner before letting go and stepping into the Clinic. Darren swallowed thickly before shaking his head, stepping out of the doorway and heading to Mr. Brotch's class. Amata stood with her arms crossed, the light of the Clinic giving her an angry arua. James sighed in acceptance before swiveling around in his chair to meet Amata's gaze. The young woman pulled up a chair and began speaking softly, her voice cracking

"Does he know?". James sat still, staring off in the distance at the steel walls bathed in white light from the Vault's lights. Amata repeated her question only with more force this time, her fists clenched at her sides as she shot out of her chair. James's eyes flickered to hers for only but a mere second and she knew the answer before he even told her. Amata spun on her heel and fled the Clinic, looking back at James, her head turned over her shoulder with a sole tear running down her right cheek. She stepped out of the door's way and it slid close with a soft click and a near silent hiss. James croaked out a single word,

"No…". He bent over his desk as he spun around to face it and placed his head in his hands, a single tear leaked out of his eye and dripped down onto the medical clipboard on his desk. That damn clipboard...

**2277 AD: **Darren knocked on the cold steel door, his reflection staring back at him, seeming to taunt him for the coming conversation that he dreaded. A "come in" prompted him to press the button next to the heavy steel door causing it open. Before the young man of eighteen years of age sat the Overseer, the ruler of all, the master of Vault 101, and his mother. Darren's mother was the classic American woman of every man's dream; with her beautiful full curves, pale creamy white skin, sharp aristocratic cheekbones and face and caring emerald green eyes; it wasn't hard to see how his father fell in love with her. Overseer Black looked up from her computer expecting another report from Chief Almodovar however she was shocked to see her son standing there, scratching the back of his head nervously. Her son's tense stance caused Catherine to raise an eyebrow so she powered down her computer and rose to embrace her son. Darren wrapped his mother in a hug, burying his face in her sleek chocolate brown hair that carried a faint smell of something called lilies, a flower if Old Lady Palmer was to be believed. Darren pulled back and met his mothers eyes, calming down and relaxing from the warm look in them. Catherine smiled at her son before pulling away and drifting to the Overseer's outlook window overlooking the Vault's Atrium, she smiled gently as she watched her citizens mill about. Darren cleared his throat causing his mother to turn to him and tilt her head at him, much like a cat would.

"Mother, we need to speak", Darren stuttered out, his nerves coming back full force.

"Yes sweetie?", Catherine urged him to speak, her hand gesturing to do so.

"Mother, I'm eighteen now and… well as you know, when you turn eighteen you are allowed to move out of your parents apartment and into your own." Catherine nodded,bringing up her hand to rest her head on, a lone finger resting on her lips.

"Thats what I intend to do Mom. I just thought you should know, maybe you would be happy that you don't have to me make breakfast for three anymore, just two now." Catherine turned around fully, her back now to the outlook window. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she opened her eyes again, this time they shone with happiness and unshed tears.

"Darren, you have no idea how happy this makes me. To see my little boy all grown up," she let out a choked laugh, " well, not so little anymore. You have made your father and I so proud over the years and I know you will continue to do so, maybe even marry a certain black haired woman? Hmm?," Darren blushed at his mother's insinuation of the future but smiled at the thought of marrying his girlfriend and longtime best friend.

"Do you have any idea about what career path you are going to pursue dear? You have so many options and paths open to you because of your success on your G.O.A.T. Hmm, maybe you can become the next Overseer when I step down. Or maybe the head of Vault Security or even pursue a career path through medicine and science like your father." Catherine questioned, wanting to make sure that her only child was thinking of his future. Darren was hesitant to answer and that immediately put Catherine's "mom senses" on alert. After a few seconds of procrastination Darren finally sighed and mumbled out an answer.

"What was that dear?" Catherine raised her eyebrows in question.

"I want to be Vault Overseer and pursue some scientific research," he stated with finality and steel entering his eyes as if challenging his mother to argue his choice. Catherine stood shocked at her son's answer but quickly leapt forward and hugged her son, silent tears streaming down her cheeks and sniffling slightly.

"Mom?! Are you okay?" Darren worriedly asked her, concerned that he said something that upset her. She just continued to sniffle and crush her son in bear hug. Finally Catherine pulled back and smiled at her son,

"I couldn't be happier with your decision Darren-" however what she was going to say was interrupted by her computer emitting an emergency alarm sound. Catherine's eyes widened before she unwrapped her arms from her son and bolted over to her computer with Darren close behind her. On her screen was a simple message from the Vault's mainframe alerting her of a new door ready to open at the back of the vault near the reactor room. Catherine looked at Darren and they both knew they needed to speak with the rest of the important Vault staff before something bad happened.

**Well guys, what do you think? Hmm? Any good? Well its going to get much better as we progress along the storyline. As you may or may have not guessed I truly love the Enclave and would join them if I could… sadly Bethesda won't let me. Maybe in Fallout 4 we can join the Enclave! Lets hope so! Alright everybody please leave a review, any suggestions and comments are welcome as are questions. Sincerely, ChainzOfThePast. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright folks I guess nobody really was in the mood to leave some encouraging comments or ideas. However, its of no consequence for I shall continue to type; hopefully you dears on the internet will leave your marks upon my story. I am accepting new character ideas if you wish to make up your own character and want me to write him or her into existence then merely comment or PM me and give me all the the details. Enough of the jabbering, lets jump into the next exciting installment of this fantastic, hopefully, series. Yours truly, ChainzOfThePast.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fallout, yadda yadda yadda… You get the gist.**

Darren stared silently at the gathered group of Vault Dwellers in his mother's office. From Officer Gomez to Amata, everyone had one emotion clearly written upon their faces. Fear. They had all heard the stories from Old Lady Palmer, the ones about when the Vault was opened before for exploration. His father wouldn't even speak of it and his mother just cried when he asked. The tension in the Overseer's Office was so thick it could be cut with a knife and Darren knew it had to broken before someone snapped. Sucking in a breath of air Darren spoke loud enough for everyone to hear,

"I'm… I'm not exactly sure what to say except what everyone is thinking, so, here is goes. The mainframe's alert is surprising to say the least and I know that some of you are frightened," glancing around he peered at each person, some meeting his gaze while others quickly took an interest in the steel floor.

"And I know that most of you probably want to forget about the alert and go back to your lives, but the truth is, plain and simple, that we can't just ignore this. We need to go down there and open that door, who knows whats down there? Maybe Vault-Tec left something important down there and set a timed lock or something, I don't know, but we owe it to them and everyone in the Vault to find out." Darren finished his speech, hoping that maybe he got through to them. He let out a soft sigh of relief as a few heads around the room began to slowly nod in agreement. Catherine pushed herself off her desk and shared a look with James, a silent understanding passed between them,

"My son is correct in his assessment and as much as it saddens me to say it and despite my own fear, he is right," drawing a deep breath before continuing Catherine raised her head and met all of their eyes,

"We must open the door." As soon as those words took flight from her lips pandemonium broke loose in the small room. People were shouting at each other, Gomez and Alphonse were shouting at each other, Officer Mack and Beatrice were gesturing wildly at each other, the man and brunette beauty shouting their opinions. Catherine and James exchanged looks quickly before Catherine leapt onto her desk and screamed loudly causing everybody to flinch and cover their ears from the offending sound. Satisfied at the silence she took James's offered hand and leaped off the desk, her feet thudding onto the solid steel floor.

"Our Overseer has made her decision and we **will **abide by her decision. So is the way of our Vault as it was and always will be." James addressed everyone, his voice held his conviction in his belief of the Vault and it's ways and he challenged anyone to it. None spoke up. Catherine touched her husband's hand with her own small one and flashed him a brief grateful smile along with a twinkle in her eye that promised more thanks later if you catch my drift.

"I know that all of you are nervous or even fearful but be that as may be or not we must open that door. We don't have to do it today", at that nearly everybody in the room let out a sigh of relief, " but we do need to do it. I'm proposing that we commence the door opening on wednesday after lunch has been served." this received several nods of agreement from the group. Letting out a relieved sigh Catherine spoke with finality,

"Alright, Wednesday it is. Now that that is settled, everyone get out of my office and don't tell **anyone** of this meeting." As everyone filed out of the office Darren was about to leave with his girlfriend when his mother called for him to stay for a few minutes. Reassuring Amata that he would meet up with her later at the Cafe, Darren turned around and stepped back into the Overseer's office, a smile on his face as he did so. However, upon seeing the serious looks on both his parent's faces his smiled quickly fell and was replaced with his no nonsense face.

"Darren, my son, I bear some bad news that is impossible to break lightly. So I will just come out and say it," James began but hesitated at the fearful look in his son's eyes. Surely he didn't already know, did he? "There is a complication in your health. Its something that I can't fix with the tec that I have available to me here in the Vault. I… I'm sorry son, I wish there was something I could do to fix it. I'm sorry." Darren stood still as stone as shock set in, not really believing what his father, the man that he always looked up to no matter how much they argued, had just told him. Tears welled up in Catherine's eyes as she stared at her son.

"Darren, its all my fault! If I hadn't left the Vault with the exploration team then you would be fine! I'm so sorry Darren!" Catherine wailed as she broke down. Her self guilt and blame crushing her like the world did to Atlas. James wrapped his arms around his sobbing wife, his guilt evident in his eyes as he had been the one to encourage the previous Overseer to open the Vault door and explore. Darren trembled as he spoke, his voice shaky and unsure

" What is it that I have?" When he was met by silence he spoke again, his voice harder than before.

"I want to know what I have." He neither shouted nor did his voice shake. He spoke with steel in his voice and his father couldn't refuse his son the truth any longer.

" It has no name, not really. Its a cancer of a sort I believe, at least thats what the symptoms show but I could be wrong. I've named it GT-82, short for gene type 82, as it displays an extreme abnormality on the 82nd gene. I've tried everything from pills to injections, radiation even! Although thats probably what caused it in the first place… I'm sorry son." James sighed in frustration. He wished that he could cure his son's illness, he really did and if he had to give up his own life to do so then he would. Sadly he hasn't found any cure as of yet. Darren rubbed his face with his hands, looking down at the floor before lifting his head and meeting his parents eyes. Despite not sharing his illness with him until now he couldn't bring himself to hate them or stay angry. Darren understood that his father and mother just wanted him to grow up normal and life a happy life while he had the chance. He glanced around the room, never was he so aware of everything around. Life seemed so fragile and delicate now and Darren wanted to cherish it while he still could. Turning back to his parents, Darren smiled

"Well I guess I just have to make the most of my time then, huh?". Catherine choked back a sob as she flung herself at her son and begged his forgiveness. James merely stood back and smiled sadly, tears streaking down his cheeks.

**Wednesday: **It had been a long week for Darren, first he had to break the news to Amata and Alphonse. Amata's father had taken the news in stride but the young woman had not fared so well. Her dreams of having a son or daughter, maybe even both, were crushed and she had taken to being reclusive in her and Darren's apartment. Darren rolled over in bed, smiling at Amata's sleeping form. Her cherry red lips were parted slightly, breathing in light whispers as the air ghosted over her lips. Her glossy raven colored hair cascading over her pale, creamy white skin while her tiny fairy like nose twitched before she let out a light sneeze in her sleep. Unfortunately that sneeze was right in Darren's face. Sighing, Darren edged closer to his girlfriend and gave her a light kiss on her forehead before slowly and silently crawling out of bed as to not wake her. The young man padded as quietly as he could to the bathroom, grabbing a fresh pair of boxers, socks, and a clean Vault 101 blue jumpsuit on his way. Darren tapped the button to open the bathroom and set his clothes down on the toilet cover before he stepped in front of the mirror. A man of white skin with a tint of hispanic stared back at him. Grey eyes with fine eyebrows and short black, but not buzzcut short, hair mirrored himself. His thin lips sat below his sharp aristocratic nose much like his royal like cheek bones which were covered in small amount of facial hair. Letting out a snort of amusement, Darren stepped away from the mirror and to the shower. Turning the handle for out water Darren couldn't help but be amused that he looked perfectly fine on the outside but inside himself he was slowly decaying. Luckily some of the Vault's medicine had kept the pain under control. Stepping into the hot water, Darren ran his hands through his hair when suddenly he heard the bathroom door open. The door to the shower slid open and a goddess like woman stepped in, fully nude and fully awake. Amata looked up at Darren as she stepped under the stream of hot water, right in front of him. Darren could see her eyes were red and bloodshot which meant she must have cried before coming into the bathroom. Slowly she slid her arms around him and pulled herself against him; Darren wrapped his lithe but muscled arms around the raven haired beauty and buried his face in her lemon scented hair. Sobs began to wrack Amata's body while Darren murmured loving words to her, wishing that he could take away her tears and pain.

Everyone that stood in front of the door was more tense than a coiled spring. The gleaming silver door had a single large white E painted on it surrounded by twelve white smaller stars. Stepping forward, hand outstretched, Catherine uncurled her fingers, her painted finger nails gleaming in the light as she lightly touched the red button next to the door. With a near silent hiss and creak as the hydraulic mechanisms forced the door upwards, the Vault Guards drew their pistols and flashlights. Glancing at Overseer Black, Officer Gomez and his squad slowly stepped into the darkness beyond the door. Suddenly white lights blinked into existence, momentarily blinding everyone as they had all proceeded into the room behind the protection of the Guards. Darren was the first to recover and gasped in awe at all that lay before him. He squeezed Amata's hand lightly before surging forward to the railing that overlooked a massive atrium. James quickly appeared next to his son and was rendered speechless, his eyes glazing over at the amount of objects of all sorts in the atrium. Hesitantly everyone else stepped forward to the railing and the effect was the same on them as it was the others.

"Welcome citizens of Vault 101 to Enclave storage and production facility ESAPF-03WDC. Please direct any and all inquiries to myself via direct confrontation or through the terminals throughout this facility. Thankyou, and remember, God bless the Enclave. God bless America." Everyone looked shocked to hear the synthesized female voice echo throughout the large room, James however looked beyond excited and Darren shared his father's excitement. Catherine eyed her husband and son, a question teeming in her eyes and luckily before she asked James answered,

"Catherine! Do you have any idea what that was?!" James shouted in excitement, his eyes wide and eager. Catherine titled her head in a feline manner for a few seconds while James practically bounced on his heels.

"I'm going to say it was probably an artificial intelligence of some sort, right?" James nodded his head furiously and flashed forward to scoop up his wife in his arms, spinning her around. Darren watched his father, stunned at the really open display of emotion from his usually withdrawn father. When his father stopped spinning his mother around Darren was worried when he spotted the tears in his parents eyes and when his father spoke, he expected the worst.

"Son… this could be the solution to all of our problems!" James nearly shouted, yet he somehow managed his contain his voice to a moderate level. Darren scrunched his eyes but before he could say anything Jonas spoke up,

"What do you mean James? I mean, yeah this is amazing and all but how can this solve the Vault's issues?" Stanley nodded in agreement, he knew that that the Vault's reactor was having major software issues and the water purifier was on it's last leg so unless this stuff in here could fix those two issues then he really didn't care about this stuff.

"Imagine Jonas, just for a second, that the Vault could have back all those wonderful things that we once had. Enough power to run the pool section, water a plenty so we don't have to use water rations anymore, more supplies in general! Imagine Jonas…" James's small speech has inspired the whole group and gave them much to think about. It gave them hope that life would get better in the Vault and that maybe one day the could even live on the surface again.

"Dad I still don't understand why you seem so-so excited I guess", Darren questioned his father, extremely curious about his manner. James slowly strode forward and clasped his son's shoulders with both his hands. When he met his father's eyes he saw a flicker of _something_ in them but Darren couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

"Darren, if all this technology is down here, left by these Enclave people, then its only smart to assume that they had medical facilities, right?" Understanding flashed in Darren's eyes at the implications of what his father had said. Glancing over his father's shoulder he met his mother's watery gaze and knew that she had arrived to the same conclusion. A loud bang followed by cuss words drew everybody's attention to the massive atrium. Rushing down the stairwell the group of Vault Dwellers followed the sound of voices, not noticing that they were missing two people from the group. As they ran toward the voices lights sprung to life, illuminating the massive warehouse like area. Soft white lights bounced off the form of several massive machines with fan-like things on them; _there must be at least one hundred fifty to two hundred of these things lined up_ Darren thought to himself as they neared the voices.

"I'm telling Almodovar, I've seen these things before! I know I have!", Darren looked questioningly over to Amata as the group stopped in front of the two arguing people. Amata squinted her eyes trying to see past the people in front of her. Darren grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd so she could see her father, he saw the worried look on her face and pushed through the crowd faster. He may not like Alphonse but Darren knew that his girlfriend loved her father very much and he would walk to the ends of the Earth to make her happy. If that meant helping Alphonse then he would suck it up and do it, of course he wasn't very likely to enjoy it but it is what it is. Luckily Amata's father was only arguing with Officer Gomez, someone who was about as likely to punch you as he would open the Vault door. Looking down at Amata he saw her let out a sigh of relief and smirked at the small smile the graced her lips.

"I'm serious Almodovar, look", Officer Gomez pulled a magazine out of his back pocket titled _America's Army Today_. He flipped through the pages quickly while the group silently watched, observant off his every action. Gomez's eyes light up and he pointed to the object that sat next to them,

"Look, this thing is called a Vertibird. Ha! I told you I've seen them before." Darren had never seen Gomez look so satisfied before that it actually made him want to laugh that the usually stoic man was displaying his emotions on his sleeve. Alpshone studied the image in the magazine before glancing up at the _Vertibird_ next to him and sighed,

"Well I guess you're right Gomez. Wonder what the hell these things are doing down here though. Says in this magazine that these things were supposed to have attack capabilities and such…" James and Jonas studied the large flight capable machine intently, wanting to know how it worked. Catherine looked around the group from Beatrice to Old Lady Palmer before she spoke,

"Well I would really like to know what all this is and we aren't going to find out just standing here. You all heard that voice earlier, you heard what it said. It told us to input all inquiries to the mainframe, so, lets go find that mainframe." Everybody began to nod in agreement to what the Overseer said. As the group began to move Darren couldn't help but stay stationary and stare up at the Vertibird, its gleaming and shining metal looked pristine and the large white E on its tail glared back at him and Darren felt that he was home, that he was where he was meant to be. Amata shouting his name and beckoning him to her propelled him to his girlfriend and as they neared the bend in the hallway, Darren gave a slight pause and turned his head to glance once more at the gleaming Vertibird.

James and the group sat in what they had supposed was the command and control room for this part of the new area of the Vault. James fiddled with the computer terminal for a few more seconds before growling in frustration and giving up. Darren watched as his father threw his hands in the air in resignation and his mother wrapped her arms around him. His father had been trying to get into the system for about twenty minutes unsuccessfully, his mother had even tried her Overseer override passwords, courtesy of Vault-Tec. Sadly no progress had been made and as such they were no closer to receiving the answers they wanted.

"Darren, you should give it a try", Amata whispered to her boyfriend. She knew that Darren had taken apart his Pip-boy 3000 dozens of times and had even made modifications to the software, improving the runtimes in it's core processor. Darren's eye widen at Amata's suggestion but with a few more words of encouragement he slowly stepped up to the terminal, it's green glow illuminating the darkened room. Steeling his resolution he slowly spread his fingers over the keyboard, typing furiously in his attempt to use a brute force hack. It was a crude way of trying to force his way into the system but it was often times effective and if he could fool the software into believing that he was an administrator then he could unlock the whole system and do whatever he wished.

**Welcome to Robco Industries (™) Termlink**

** Set Terminal/Inquire**

**RIT-V300**

** Set File/Protection=Owner: RWED Acounts.**

** Set Halt Restart/Maint**

**Initializing Robco Industries (™) MF Boots**

…

…

…

**Retro Boot/Main Sequence Pattern Detected…**

**Root File Corrupted… Set Main File PW 82-4S**

**Please Standby…**

…

…

…

**WARNING UNAUTHORIZED USER DETECTED! PLEASE STANDBY FOR SECURITY SHUTDOWN!**

**Admin Route Protocol/User Admit_RIV? **

**Enter Maintenance Mode Firewall Reboot?**

**YESNO**

…

…

…

**Welcome to Robco Industries (™) Termlink**

**Please Verify Authorisation…**

**Admin File Runtime #3295…**

**Main\Time\Set 5A8**

…

**User Authorised**

**Welcome**

Everybody was shocked when suddenly the lights sputtered to life and the massive storage devices began to light up, their power lines glowing red. The main console in the center of the room began to glow as words and numbers flew across the screen. James approached the now blank green screen when the word ZAX sprang onto the screen. (Imagine President Eden but in female form)

"Welcome citizens, I see you managed to unlock the security shutdown and reboot the systems. I congratulate you on that, it shows great promise for the future. Now, I presume you all have questions?" Catherine stepped forward next to James.

"I do have a few questions… well more than a few but I have some really important ones that need to be answered now." The ZAX was silent for a few moments before it spoke up once more,

"I'm going to assume that you are the Overseer of Vault 101?" the feminine voice asked alluringly

"Yes, I am the Overseer and I demand that you answer my questions otherwise I will have my son shut you back down. Understand…?" After a few moments it replied

"Very well Overseer, I abide by your decisions and answer all of your questions. You can call me Serena if you wish as well." Catherine studied the machine for a few minutes as Darren piped up

"I think we can trust Serena, Mom. If she wanted us dead then she would have activated the security systems by now." Catherine turned to her son and nodded her head when she saw Officer Gomez slowly nod his head in agreement. Despite what most people thought, she didn't know everything that went on in the Vault and Officer Gomez was her most trusted friends and confidants. Well of course, besides her husband.

"Serena, where is the medical facility? What kind of equipment does it contain?" James had stepped forward and needed to know the answer to his questions. Everyone stood silently as they waited, they knew this was all that James truly cared about out of everything in this new area.

"Our medical facility is state-of-the-art, containing new and advanced technologies it has the remedy for all your aches and ailments. Sadly, our medical technology did not arrive before the war began. We are only currently equipped with the basics of medical technology and a single Auto-Doc Mark 3. I'm sorry that we don't have what you seek Mr. Black." James clenched his fists in anger. He _knew,_ no he _thought_ that this place would have the medical technology he needed to save his son's life. _Just another dead end_ James thought bitterly to himself, angry that he assumed what he had assumed. Catherine wrapped her arms around her husband, pushing herself into his side trying to comfort him. Darren stared at Serena's screen before asking her a question that would change the Vault, himself, and the Wasteland.

"Serena, is there someplace like this that would have the proper medical facilities to cure me?", everyone was silent in shock at what he had implied, that he would _leave_ the Vault, the supposed only safe haven in America.

"Yes, there is a few places that you could travel to that would have the proper medical facilities to cure you of your illness. However, I'm going to assume that you wish to not travel terribly far. In that case I would recommend either Raven Rock Enclave Military Base or U.S Army HeadQuarters, the Pentagon." Darren nodded, absorbing all the AI had told him.

"I would recommend that you equip yourself with armor and weapons from the armory; I have no idea what the surface is currently like as my satellite connection unstable. I will unlock the armory if you wish to access it." The musical like voice informed him. The young man in question merely nodded to the AI before he turned and faced the crowd. Amongst them he saw varying looks of curiosity, anger, disgust, and worry. Darren cleared his throat before he addressed the group,

"I know that some of you may or may not agree with my decision to leave the Vault, but please understand that this is something I need to do." turning to Amata he spoke with more care in his voice,

"Amata, I know that I couldn't give you a future" he placed a finger on her lips to stop her words, "You and I both know this to be true. I hope that when I return you would accept my marriage proposal." Amata was rendered speechless at what he had said, that he wanted to marry her when he returned from wherever it is that he needed to go. So she did what any girl would do, she leaped him, wrapped her arms around his neck his cried out a muffled yes.

Darren hugged his mother and father one last time before turning to his now fiance, Amata Almodovar. He wrapped his armored arms around her and kissed her passionately on the lips once more, pulling away, sad that he wouldn't see her for who knows how long. Lastly the young man turned to Alphonse, the older man's eyes were slightly clouded with anger. He didn't believe that anyone should ever be allowed to leave the Vault; he believed that they should live in the Vault forever, just like Vault-Tec had intended them to. Darren extended his hand to his future father in-law and was thoroughly shocked when the middle aged man firmly grasped it and shook it.

"Just a word of advice boy. You had best come back, you make my Amata happy and she doesn't have much that makes her happy. So, if you don't come back the **I** will go out there and kill you, understand?" Darren simply nodded, not knowing any other way to express his thoughts. Sucking in a deep breath, Darren pulled the lever on the control panel. The giant mechanical arm swung forward and latched onto the gear shaped door; as it pulled the bomb proof door out of its ancient resting place an ear screeching sound ensued. When the Vault door rolled to the side, exposing the tunnel that led to the surface, Darren knew this was it. Slipping on his Advanced Power Armor Mark 1 helmet (its the Enclave Remnants armor from Fallout New Vegas and that will be the armor the Enclave uses in this story), Darren stepped out of the vault and onto the dirt path outside of it. Shuffling forward past the skeletons the littered the ground, Darren turned around and watched as the gear shaped Vault door rolled back into place and was pushed close once more with that ear shattering screech. Once the alarms stopped, Darren followed the dirt path to an old wooden door. Hesitating for only a few seconds, Darren pushed the wooden door open and stepped into the sunlight. The brightness nearly blinded him but thankfully his helmet's optics quickly adjusted and dimmed it. Pulling his Plasma rifle off his back, Darren stepped forward and into his destiny.

**Well children, how was that? Did you enjoy it? Please let me know, all reviews are appreciated. I'm very aware that many people probably don't read Fallout fanfiction but if there are some of you that enjoy this story then I shall continue to write. Please leave reviews, let me know your thoughts, and as I mentioned, I am accepting characters if you want me to write them into my story for you guys. Lastly I would like to thank my sole reviewer, IgorTheMad, I appreciate your review and hope that you enjoy the story. As for all those that followed and favorited it, I say thankyou to you as well. Anyway, remember to, read, review, and enjoy! Sincerely, ChainzOfThePast. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Well I thoroughly enjoyed that previous chapter. I think that it was much better than my first one in terms of length and content. I'm honestly not sure about what direction I want my story to go; I do have a general idea but I'm still tossing it around in my head, so I apologize in advanced if some of the things don't make sense or don't add up. If you do happen to spot something then, please, let me know and I will do my best to rectify the mistake. I notice that no one has yet left a review or PMed me about writing a character of their own into the story. Thats not a big deal, however, if you want them to be a major character then I would encourage you to message or leave a review ASAP so I can write them in soon. I want to write a story that you guys love and helped to create, so please just let me know if you have any ideas. Anyway, enough of that. Lets get onto the stuff you are all looking forward to, the story. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Fallout... damn.**

Darren was nervous to say the least. The Wasteland was nothing like the Vault and he was already wishing that he could go back inside his pristine, steel home. He wished that he could open that massive gear shaped door, listen to the screeching of metal on metal and wrap Amata up in his arms as she cried for joy at his return. _Listen to yourself, you've only just left the Vault and you already want to return. How in the hell are you gonna last out here?_ Darren bitterly thought to himself, the confidence from earlier had long since worn off and reality had begun to sink in. Glancing up at the sky Darren was thankful that he was sealed tight in his power armor. He knew his Pip-boy had alerted him of the sudden temperature increase when he had stepped out of the Vault. A scalding 94.7 degrees beat down on him a vast difference from the Vault's temperature controlled environment of 68.5 degrees year round, and the only thing that separated him from it was his power armor and it's internal air conditioning. Jumping down from the pile of rocks he was standing on, Darren landed on the crack and eroded pavement with a grunt, gripping his Plasma rifle in tighter. Darren knew from old Pre-War maps and his mother's own documents that a small town called Springvale lay practically right in front of the Vault as did the post-war town of Megaton. Following the old and worn road led Darren to Springvale and the beginnings of something big. Walking as softly and quietly as he could, Darren slowly made his way through Springvale, wary of any and all dangers that could be lurking behind any of the decrepit and disused buildings. Raising his Plasma rifle, Darren quickly aimed it at a shadow that he thought he saw move. Waiting a few moments and when nothing moved he assumed that it must have just been his imagination playing tricks on him. Darren slowly lowered his rifle and turned back to the soft glow of lights in the near distance that he assumed was megaton. _I suppose that the dusk hours are sort of beautiful out here_ Darren mused as he trudged along to his destination. Insane laughter behind alerted him that the shadow wasn't a shadow. Spinning around as fast as he could Darren fumbled with his Plasma rifle. As the scantily clad figure rushed at him, meat cleaver in hand, the click of a trigger and a loud bang made him flinch. The maniacal person froze in his spot, blood pouring from the wound in his chest before two more rounds flew forth and slammed into him. Darren watched the mystery man next to him holster his revolver, in awe at the actions that he just committed. The black man pulled his cowboy hat off and dusted it off before placing back on his head. Lucas Simms eyed the armored person in front of him carefully, not wanting to make the mistake of letting a psychopath or cold blooded murderer into his town. When the man in the duster and cowboy hat began to chuckle, Darren was thoroughly confused.

"Alright, come on kid. Lets get back to town, I don't wanna be out here when the raiders come looking for that stiff over there" Darren glanced at the bloodied body.

"Are you from Megaton?" Lucas simply stared at the person. Letting out a sigh he replied

"You ain't from around the parts, are you son?" Darren shook his head, hoping that this person would be able to point him in the right direction.

"Well, come on then. When we get back to town then I guess you got some explaining to do and I can probably answer your questions." Darren didn't even have to think it over, he knew that this was his best opportunity to get answers.

"Well this is Megaton, our own little oasis on the Wasteland." Lucas sarcastically introduced Darren to the town. The young man had never seen anything like it, cars, planes, and buses were the materials the town was made of and he was very impressed at the craftsmanship. As they moved throughout the town Darren was introduced to the more important people in the small town. People such as Moira Brown, Moriarty, Confessor Cromwell and a few others. When Lucas had told him that the bomb in the center of the town was very much active and alive as it was 200 years ago he nearly had a heart attack.

"There is a 500 cap reward for anyone that can disarm that thing, unfortunately nobody in the wasteland has the know how or the smarts to even attempt such a thing. Well no one except the Brotherhood that is but they don't care 'bout anyone but themselves… selfish bastards." Darren had listened to Lucas explain the in and out of the wasteland, talk about the various factions and cities, and the odds and ends of things but he hadn't mentioned any 'Brotherhood' before.

"Brotherhood? You never mentioned them. Who are they?" Lucas seemed reluctant to speak but after more prodding he spilled everything he knew about them.

"The Brotherhood of Steel. A bunch of self centered, xenophobic assholes is what they are. They came in about twenty years ago and started what they called the 'Forge of Steel', they came into every settlement that they could and took as many kids as they could. Some tried to fight back but were killed like dogs in the street. Hell, they even tried to take Megaton. Luckily Talon Company had returned from their mission in the CommonWealth and was able to push them back to the Pentagon. The only city that really rights with the Brotherhood now is Rivet City, well Talon Company still fights the Brotherhood in the D.C ruins but other than that the Brotherhood doesn't bother us." Darren felt bile rise in his throat and his stomach churned at the thought of all those children taken from their parents. Swallowing thickly Darren asked a question he wasn't sure that he wanted the answer to.

"What happened to the children they took?"

"People think that they used them for experiments or slave labor. Myself, I think they took them to replenish their ranks. Why else would they need children? They are easy to manipulate and control, perfect little soldiers." Lucas spat out in anger. As they meandered through the city Darren was silent, thinking about what Lucas Simms had told him. Darren slammed right into someone, knocking them over when he wasn't looking.

"Hey there sonny, watch where you're going" The old man cheerfully told him as Darren reached down and helped the elderly man up off the ground. The old man stared at him critically, eyeing him as if he would stab and kill him any moment. Darren was completely surprised when the old man's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Well I'll be a son of a bitch, bless my hide its the good ol' stars!" the old man stared him in expectantly, as if he was supposed to say something.

"Oh, where are my manners. My name is Nathaniel Vargas and I'm probably the last supporter of you guys in this town!" Darren was confused about what Nathan was speaking about until the elderly man tapped his finger on his armor, right on the white E surrounded by twelve white stars.

"What… Oh you mean the Enclave?" Nathan nodded his head and was about to speak

"I'm sorry Nathan but I'm not from the Enclave. I'm from Vault 101 up on the ridge, as it turns out I'm actually looking for the Enclave. You have any idea where I can find them?" At that Nathan's eyes darkened and his smile dropped in sadness. Suddenly he perked up again,

"You said you are looking for the Enclave?" Darren nodded in confirmation. "Well thank god you're a Patriot, not enough of those around here. To answer your question son I haven't any idea where they are. I wish I did though."

"Hmm… What can you tell me about the Brotherhood of Steel?" Nathan narrowed his eyes and a dangerous look entered his aged eyes.

"Them Brotherhood folk aren't nothing but Communist dogs, destroying the land and lifeblood of America. You aren't thinking of joining them, are you?" Nathan questioned him suspiciously. Darren reassured him that he had no plans to join the Brotherhood.

"How come you are the only one that is loyal to the Enclave? I mean I would think that lots of people would be eager to return America to its former self." Darren wanted to know, whether out curiosity or his own sense of loyalty he wished to know. Nathan sighed sadly,

"When them Brotherhood folks rolled in all those years ago and was tearing up the land, terrorizing the people no one had hope. Out of no where though a bunch of those Enclave eyebots showed up and that new radio station appeared. President Navarro said that he and the Enclave would come and save everyone and bring back order and stability. They would bring fresh food and water however, they never showed up. The broadcast is still going but the Enclave never came to save everyone. Most people think its just a pre recorded broadcast on a continuous loop. But I know better, I know that somewhere out there is the Enclave, waiting for the right moment to swoop in and save us." Darren was absolutely amazed by Nathan's story. After thanking him for the story Darren sought out Lucas; he needed to know how to find the Brotherhood. If he could locate the Brotherhood then he would be able to find the Pentagon like Serena had told him. Hopefully the medical technology would still be there but he had his doubts.

"Hey, Lucas! There you are, I've been looking all over for you." Lucas smiled slightly at the sight of the power armored you man running up to him.

"What can I do for ya Darren?" Lucas chuckled as Darren gasped for air, his power helmet clenched in his hand. A few moments passed before he spoke up,

"I need to know where to find the Brotherhood. They might have something that I need" Lucas was silent, trying to decide whether or not to tell him.

"Listen up Darren, your best shot at finding the Brotherhood is to head to GNR studios in the D.C. ruins. There is a man holed up there by the name of Three-Dog. He plays decent music on his radio channel but when he isn't playing music he is spouting off Brotherhood propaganda. Chances are he is protected by some Brotherhood soldiers so thats my suggestion." Darren grinned at him and thanked the weathered man for the information.

"Darren! Stay here for the night, nothing good is out there at night. Stay till the morning and I will see you off, okay?" Darren reluctantly agreed with him and headed to Moriarty's to rent a bed for the night. Fingering the few bottlecaps Moira had given him for his technical insight on something or another, he stepped into the soft glow of the tavern, the steel door swinging shut behind him.

Darren stood at the top of Megaton, smiling at the kind people he had met here. Turning around, Darren pulled his power helmet onto his head and was unslinging his Plasma rifle when he heard a voice call out to him,

"Hey, good luck Darren. I hope you find what you're looking for and please, don't be a stranger around here." Darren nodded and stepped past the massive steel gates and back into the wastes. As Lucas Simms walked down the path towards the bomb that rested in the center of the city he couldn't help but feel like something was off, like something was missing. _Aha! Thats it, the ticking isn't there anymore!_ Lucas was in shock and he knew that only one person had the skill to do that. Darren. Smiling, Lucas knew that the kid was gonna do just fine out here as he placed 500 caps in the safe in the once empty house that now belonged to Darren.

Darren officially hated the sewers. So many damn feral ghouls lived down there that he was sure that he broke his finger from pulling the trigger on his Plasma rifle so many times. Darren had never been so glad to see the Sun in his life. Well, the few times he _has_ seen it anyway. He was in awe at the once beauty and splendor of Washington D.C. and was also greatly saddened by the fact that it was destroyed. _Snap!_ Darren lifted his heavily armored foot and was nearly sick when he saw what he stepped on. It was a leg, well, the remains of a leg. Laying on the crumbling road was a skeleton, that of a child's, with a teddy bear still grasped in its hands. He could almost see the people running and screaming, the parents shouting for their children to run and hide. The fear was still palpable in the air, it had sunk its roots into the buildings of the dead city, capturing all the souls of those who died in a flash. Darren touched the teddy bear as if to say he was sorry before moving on down the street. Black outlines of people were burned into the walls everywhere. Taunting him, crying out to him and he did his best to ignore it but the silence of the city was impermeable, forcing him to look at all of the shadows burned into the walls. _They are like memories. Sad and horrible memories, but memories nonetheless _Darren realized. He knew he needed to find GNR and fast, if only to escape the whispers of the past that lay all around him.

**Alright kiddies I know what you are probably thinking, "This is such a short chapter, why?!" Well to be honest guys, I ran out of thinking juice. But I think I ended this chapter just perfectly and wouldn't do it any other way. Now I would like to thank everyone who reads this story and we have reached the three viewer mark! Yayyyyyy! Everybody gets free Nuka-Cola and InstaMash! Alright I would also like to thank my Anonymous reviewer who wanted more, well here ya go! Also bigpapifan238, thankyou for the review and I like chocolate every now and again so drowning me in it might not work :D hehehe. CDUFFY72 I would like to thank you as well for your encouraging review and if you put a request for a lemon forward then I would love to write one for you. Just PM me or leave a review with the specifics such as who, when, ect. CDUFFY72, I would love to write one for you and all my other little lemon lovers out there ;) Rember folks to read, review, and love it! Sincerely, ChainzOfThePast.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Nope… still don't own Fallout**

Darren was sick and tired of this dead city. The shadows and the bones and all the goddamn whispers. Like the dead wanted him to hear their last thoughts and it made him depressed. Sighing, Darren hauled himself over a pile of stones that must have fallen of a nearby building and was shocked at the fresh carnage that was in clear daylight before his eyes. Bodies of giant green _things_ were scattered all over the place, blood splattered in copious amounts all over the broken and cracked stones. Darren knew that if not for his helmet he would be retching and gagging from the smell. The sight alone was enough to make him queasy but he knew that he was drawing closer to GNR due to the radio signal becoming clearer. Darren lept off the rock pile and observed his surroundings, well besides the obvious amounts of dead creatures, he sought out places that he could be ambushed. Broken glass and warped metal lined his path down through the crumbling ruins as he cautiously walked. A scuffle of noise and primitive grunts drew Darren's attention to a sagging building a bit to his left. Drawing his Plasma rifle, Darren hefted it to sight and waited as the sounds moved closer and he knew that he could possibly die if it was more than one of those creatures. Rounding the corner were three giant men, their skin the color of cash, green. That wasn't even the most odd thing, these creatures couldn't seem to form complex sentences, as if stringing together more than a few words together was a monumental task for them. Darren nearly had a heart attack as each one carried a weapon, each one more lethal than the last. The lead _thing_ carried a simple wood board with sharp, rusty nails embedded in it. The second one spun an assault rifle, a Chinese Assault rifle if he remembered what Simms had said correctly, about in a fanning motion, its eyes searching for the slightest movement. The last man… creature... _thing_ carried the most deadly weapon of all three. A rocket launcher. The second the lead one spotted Darren, he roared in his guttural voice and lumbered forward swinging his nail board like a maniac. Darren sucked in a breath, narrowed his eyes in focus and squeezed the trigger. The satisfying sizzling sound of Plasma flying through the air rang in his ears. The creature that was rushing towards him stopped and stumbled, grabbing his shoulder and yowling in pain as skin, muscle, and bone melted away as the plasma burned its way through the thick and heavy flesh. A second bolt of plasma quickly followed the first and flew into the creature. Plasma melted its way through the creature's chest and burned it's heart to a crisp. Darren smiled slightly to himself but he knew that a premature celebration wasn't wise as the other two creatures roared in anger and began firing their weapons. Darren's smile fell from his face as he dove headfirst behind a pile of rubble, barely dodging the missile that sped past him. However a few bullets from the assault rifle wielding creature bounced and pinged off his steel and composite armor. He clenched his rifle close to his chest, heavy breathing and the pounding of blood in his ears the only sound that he could hear as Darren sprung up from his position and fired off a few more bolts of plasma, hoping that he hit something. Darren's eye widened as a missile was spat from it's launcher and impacted the rubble pile that he was hiding behind. Darren flew backwards and smashed his armored head on a large piece of stone. Black spots filled his vision as he struggled to stand, his Plasma rifle laying on the ground beside him. Darren lurched forward onto his hands and knees, his head pounding from being banged around. Deep laughing and unintelligible words made the disoriented man lift his head and the sight made him shiver. The two green creatures lumbered to him, teeth gnashing, veins bulging as if they wished to burst, and eyes that knew nothing but the sadistic pleasure of inflicting pain on others. _**BOOM!**_ a loud blast echoed off the sad and broken walls that surrounded him. Moments later the rocket launcher wielding creature's head exploded in a burst of red and green gore. Bone fragments flew everywhere, plinking off the stones, as the headless body fell to its knees and slumped forward before collapsing on its side. The second creature was too shocked to act as a beam of blood red laser energy sped through the air and impacted it's chest, burning a small precise hole straight through it. As the last creature fell to the ground with a thud, six power armored people appeared, as if they crawled out of the very walls themselves. The six people quickly encircled him, weapons raised, aimed and ready to fire if he made one false move. _This __**must**_ _be the Brotherhood, it must be!_ Darren thought frantically to himself. He knew he needed their help if he was going to cure himself but the feeling these people gave him made the young man want to crawl back into the Vault and die a slow painful death than rather be near them any longer than need be. One of the powered armor figures holstered their laser rifle onto their back and slowly undid the sealed environmental claps connecting the helmet and the armor. What he saw next shocked him to the core as a beautiful blonde woman stared him down, her helmet in one hand and the other on her hip.

"Well well, what do we have here, hmm?" a smirk adorned the suntanned woman's face, her pink lips pulled up at the corners. Darren swallowed thickly, unable to form a coherent sentence to save his life, which it just literally might. Taking a slow breath, Darren hoisted himself to his feet a bit unsteadily. The five other people quickly raised their weapons that they had lowered when their leader, he supposed thats who she is, had taken off her helmet. Darren raised his hands in an unthreatening way and quickly spoke, hoping that his next words weren't his last.

"My name is Darren Black. I was actually looking for you guys… well not you specifically, just the Brotherhood of Steel in general" he stumbled over his words, hoping that he hadn't offended them. The smirk on the woman's face slowly changed to a look of curiosity as she looked him over. Her eyebrows raised, almost comically if the situation was different, as she spotted the insignia on his chest plate. Pursing her lips the woman spoke tersely,

"Please remove your helmet. Now." Darren was quickly becoming more worried than he already was as he obeyed her order. The Mark 1 Advanced Power Helmet slipped off his head with a near silent hiss at the slight atmospheric change, the sudden brightness blinding him and he shut his eyes tightly as they slowly adjusted to the natural light. As his eyes adjusted Darren smiled nervously at the golden haired woman. Sighing, the woman extended her hand to Darren who slowly stepped forward and shook it.

"My name's Sarah Lyons and the rest of these guys are Red Squad. We're the best damn soldiers in the Brotherhood and I wanna know who you are and just what the hell you are doing in this shit hole?" Sarah had all but growled the introduction and question to him. Licking his chapped lips, Darren cleared his throat.

"Well, you see, I'm from Vault 101 and I was hop-"

"Wait a moment, you say you're from a _Vault_?" one of the other soldiers asked, a woman from the sound of it.

"Yes, thats correct. I was born and raised in Vault 101. Unfortunately I had to leave to go find-" A loud blast in the distance interrupted him and Darren nearly freaked out at not being able finish a sentence. Sarah looked at the rising cloud of smoke and dust in the distance,

"Alright everyone, we need to get to GNR right now. Whatever that was its big and its headed this way and I don't know 'bout you guys but I prefer living". The group of soldiers all nodded in agreement as the checked their various weapons and equipment before turning away from him and walking off. The only one left was Sarah,

"Look kid, if you got questions or something then I'll answer them but you are gonna have ta come with us, understand? And there is no way I'm watching your ass the whole way there so I guess you're in luck that you got that thing." She pointed to the gun on the ground. Sarah bent down and picked it up, slowly inspecting it before she handed it to him, stock first. Darren murmured a near silent thank you as he lovingly dusted off his Plasma rifle to which the woman nodded before she donned her helmet and trudged off with Darren right behind her.

The battle for GNR was exhausting and Darren wanted to do nothing but sleep however he knew that was only a dream that couldn't be fulfilled. Peeling off his helmet, Darren gazed at the plaza outside of the radio studio and simply gave a low chuckle at the carnage. Just a few hours ago he could barely survive against these _Super Mutants_ and here he was now, killing them like a seasoned veteran. A feminine voice calling his name drew his attention to the entrance to the radio studio. Sighing, Darren holstered his Plasma rifle to his back and ambled up the decaying steps. Helmet in hand Darren followed Sarah Lyons inside the building, past a few guards, and finally into what he assumed was the broadcast room. From the silence he assumed that Sarah was thinking about something, most likely him and who he was, and didn't want to be disturbed. Not wanting to stand there like a fool, Darren pulled a chair away from the wall and sat down, his head rolling back, shoulders slumping, and eyes slowly drooping close, exhaustion taking over. What feels like only seconds later he is shook awake by the beautiful blonde woman, a scowl marring her face. Darren sat up and rub his face, gloved hands gliding over the black stubble that coated his sharp cheeks. Groaning his raised his head and stared at the woman in front of him. Hands on hips, fine blonde eyebrows scrunched, steel-gray eyes narrowed, and pink full lips pulled thin. Realizing that the female in front of him was as volatile as a volcano and could likely explode like one as well so he quickly stood from his chair and adopted a serious expression. The two of them stood nose to nose, facing off to each other as the tension grew. A relaxed looking black man meandered into the room, a cigarette hanging loosely off his lips as it smoldered slowly. Black shades covered the man's eyes and black facial hair grown loosely on his sunken cheekbones. A faded black jacket hung loosely off his thin frame and a white undershirt peaked out from under the jacket. Grey faded jeans were rumpled and torn but clung to his legs and brown combat boots peaked out from the worn jeans. Black eyebrows raised the man stopped in front of the two power armored figures, took a long drag of his cigarette, and blew wispy white smoke into the air.

"Alright folks, lets just calm down and relax. No need to get all worked up" A smile pulled at his lips as the two people slowly pulled away from each other, Sarah's hands on her hips and Darren's arms crossed over his chest. "See, now was that so bad? No?" Sarah glared at the man that Darren assumed was Three-Dog.

"Yes, it was. You have any idea what this man is Three-Dog?" Sarah spat out, sneering at Darren as she did so. The man in question scratched his head through his wool hat and eyed Darren carefully,

"Hmm… He ain't with you all? I mean he is wearing power armor, isn't he?" Three-Dog questioned. Sarah stood ramrod straight and practically growled her response.

"No, he isn't. Look at his armor, see that insignia?" Three-Dog spotted said insignia and nodded apprehensively, unsure of where this was going.

"Thats the _**Enclave's**_ symbol!" she all but screamed in anger. That drew Three-Dog's attention as he had heard the stories like everyone else had. Stories of the Enclave swooping in and saving whole cities, stories of advanced technology, clean water and food, and safety. However, thats all they ever were, stories. Yet here was the living breathing proof that the Enclave, _the Enclave,_ existed and Three-Dog was unsure on what to make of it. Taking another drag of his cigarette he let out a puff and looked Darren in the eye.

"So, what are you doing here? You gonna '_save the wasteland'_ or something? Huh?" Three-Dog questioned angrily. Darren was dumbfounded by what this Three-Dog character had just asked him. Clenching his teeth and glaring at both of them Darren spoke,

"No, I already said I'm not from the Enclave. I'm from Vault 101 and I was looking for the Brotherhood of Steel." Sarah looked him in the eye, as if she could see into his very soul, until he chuckled jerking her out of her thought process. Scowling at him she asked tersely,

"Alright, lets say you are from a Vault. What are you doing out here? Why would you leave the safety of the Vault and enter this shithole?" Darren smiled at her words.

"Well like I said, I was searching for something and as it turns out, only you guys have it." Sarah snorted at his words. "Lemme guess, you were looking for some advanced technology and just assumed we would have it? That we would let _you_ use it?" Darren smirked at her sarcastic tone.

"No, I didn't _just assume_ that you have it. I know that you do. It's located at the Pentagon and I'm pretty sure thats where your base is, isn't it?" Sarah looked shocked that this supposed Vault Dweller would have an even remote idea of where the Brotherhood's base was. She simply nodded in answer to his question.

"So what would it take for you guys to allow me to use it?" Sarah quirked her lips before replying

"I honestly haven't a clue. I'm not the Elder, you're gonna have to go to the Citadel and speak to the Elder about using it, but I'm guessing he is gonna make you work for permission to use it. Thats assuming that you get there in one piece." She snickered at the thought of this single man fighting off dozens of Super Mutants in the Mall. Three-Dog brightened at the mention of travel and quickly spoke up to the retreating black armored form.

"Hey! Wait a moment kid! I got an offer for you, one you can't turn down. You are going through the ruins to the Mall, right?" Darren silently nodded in affirmation. Three-Dog gave his patented cheshire grin as he spoke,

"Good, listen here, I need you to go to the washington monument and fix something for me."

"And what would that be?" Darren drawled, wanting to get going. Three-Dog narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the nonchalant tone that Darren at addressed him with but pressed onward anyway.

"You see, my voice, my gift to the people in the wasteland, is being limited because there's been a technical problem at my amplification system at the Washington monument. Now, I just need _you_ to go there and repair it. If you can't repair it with the shit there then try the museum of science and technology to find some things to fix it with. So, what do you say?" Three-Dog grinned at the armored man, hoping that appealing to his better nature had worked. When Darren simply chuckled he knew that he had failed. Turning around and staring at him with his helmet on, Darren shook his head in a condescending manner, clucking his tongue.

"Now, what would make you think that I would do this outta the good of my heart, hmm? From the short time I've been out here I've learned that a cut throat attitude is the best way to stay alive. I don't like it, I really try not to have this attitude, but it seems to be the best rule to live by. So, whats in it for me?" Darren had crossed his arms and stared Three-Dog down. Finally the hippie radio man relented and turned his head away, sighing he spat out,

"Fine, here ya go ya bastard. I never managed to make my way to it but its yours now. Its north the national guard depot" he flung an old rusty key with the words **ROBCO IND.** etched into it. "Now go fix my broadcaster kid. You got what you want so get the hell out." Darren snatched the old rusty key out of the air and fingered it, turning it over in his hand. Chuckling, Darren slipped it into a slot in his armor and turned away, calling his thanks to the disgruntled disc jockey.

A tall white marble monolith loomed before him surrounded by rudimentary concrete and steel walls. Two figures in power armor stood guard in front of the only entrance, wielding heavy weapons. Darren gripped his Plasma rifle tighter as he approached the guards, hoping that for once the Brotherhood wouldn't abide by their shoot first policy. When Darren told the Knights that he was here on a 'favor' from Three-Dog, they let him in so he could check out the damage. Whistling, he was shocked at the amount of damage done to the fragile equipment. Transistors broken, fuses burnt to crisps, wires frayed and torn, vacuum tubes shattered, and worst of all, and probably the biggest issue, the satellite dish was completely destroyed. Bullets riddle the thin metal like swiss cheese; he knew that he could probably repair the other machines but the dish needed to be completely replaced. Sighing, Darren dropped the metal dish to the ground with a clang and stood up from his crouched position slowly, dusting his hands off. Stepping back into the elevator, he knew that he would have to head to the museum of science and technology and he dreaded it. The Mall was the worst place Darren had ever been, scratch that, the sewers were the worst… but the Mall still sucked! Anyway, the Mall was filled with nothing but Super Mutants, the occasional raider or two, slavers over by that memorial, and those Talon Company fellas. So, overall, the Mall was the worst shithole in the wastes. Still, he knew that the buildings here held valuable technology and Darren really wanted that technology. Passing the gate guards, Darren shouldered his Plasma and cautiously moved along the outskirts of the Mall. He wanted to avoid the trenches in the center of the Mall because of all the Super Mutants and he **did not** need to get in a firefight with dozens of mutants. Crouching low in the shadows near a rock pile, Darren decided he would wait until the sun was fully set before he proceeded to the museum so as to be under the cover of darkness. After waiting several hours in a dilapidated building near the Washington monument, the sun was set and Darren was ready to move out. Rolling off his makeshift bed, Darren sneaked through the shadows of night, clinging close to the buildings so as to not alert the mutants. Heavy footfalls and the screaming of a woman and the cry of a child drew the Vault Dweller's attention to a enclosing with a rusty steel gate being the only entrance. Gritting his teeth in anger and disgust, he slowly drew closer to the sounds. peeking around his cover into the clearing Darren was disgusted by what he saw. Bodies and parts of bodies littered the ground like empty Nuka-Cola bottles. The sounding of ripping flesh and the splattering of blood made him snap out of his thoughts. Pulling back, Darren stood up, shouldered his Plasma rifle and stepped out of his cover. Time seemed to slow down for the young man as he heard blood rushing, his heart pounding in his ears. The Super Mutant had his strong muscled hand wrapped tightly around the brunette woman's throat. Screaming from a child in a shopping cart cage made the young man even more enraged than he already was. With a mother and her child in mortal danger Darren forgot about his own safety and squeezed the trigger on his energy weapon in rapid succession. Twin bolts of green globule energy whizzed through the air, burning ozone as they did so. The Super Mutant never even had a chance as the first bolt impacted at the base of the neck and the second struck home, burning its way into the _freak's_ skull, melting its brain. The woman was dropped out of the mutant's lax grip and quickly dashed over to the kid, whom he assumed was her child, pulling the cage apart and squishing her daughter in a bone crushing hug. Darren slowly moved towards them, sweeping his Plasma rifle around the area looking for other threats. When he reached the duo the mother was still on her knees hugging her child close. The woman only noticed him because the child was staring at him; the woman leaped to her feet and pushed her child behind her, staring defiantly at him, as if challenging him to attack. Darren scanned both people closely starting with the woman. She was wearing a pre-war spring pink dress that clung to her voluptuous curves, straining just slightly at her well endowed chest allowing him to see the gentle milky swells of her breasts. Her long pale milky white legs seemed to go on forever before ending at her perfect feet that, sadly, were without shoes. Looking back up, past her wide hips and slim stomach, her peered at her face. Her beautiful neck that was just covered by chocolate colored hair that waved like the soft gentle waves of the Potomac. Swallowing thickly, her stared at her luscious full pink lips that seemed to pout at him, eyes flickering to her flushed pink cheeks and her small cute nose. Looking into her chocolate brown eyes Darren was shocked at the ferocity that blazed in them. In that moment, in that split second, he realized the love a mother held for their child and realized how much it must have hurt his mom to see him leave the Vault. The young girl behind her was probably around the age of eight or nine and looked like a miniature version of her mother except for her eyes. They were crystal blue. The kind of blue that made sapphires green with envy. She wore a simple green dress with white stockings and blue dress shoes. Her chocolate colored hair fell in wavy locks to her waist while her small pale hands clenched her mother's dress, whether in fear or some other emotion he knew not. Lowering his rifle slowly so he wouldn't frighten them, he held it in one hand and undid the environmental claps on his helmet with his other. With a hiss he slid his helmet off and lowered his hand, helmet in it, and gave a gentle smile to the quivering duo in front of him. The soft glow of a fire in a steel barrel barely illuminated the area but it was enough to show Darren's face and that alone made the woman more at ease, his disarming smile merely helped. Darren stepped forward and the woman stumbled back, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. The young man stopped, understanding dawning at his action, no matter how small it may have seem, could have been perceived negatively. Thinking his words over carefully he spoke quietly so as to not alert the muties in the area.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you guys. My name's Darren by the way." The woman seemed hesitant but spoke anyway.

"My name's Christy. This is my daughter Susan," she gestured to the young girl behind her who gave a small smile and waved a tiny hand."I wanna thank you… for saving our lives. I know thats not much but its all I have," Christy gave a weak smile. Darren looked the two of them over and glanced back over his shoulder to the Washington monument. After a few seconds of deliberation he made a decision, one that would once again change his life.

"Why don't you head over to the monument, you will be protected there until I get back. When I get back then we can figure out what we're gonna do. Sound good?" Darren asked her. Mulling it over Christy nodded in agreement. Hoisting her daughter into her arms she made to walk past him but Darren swung his Plasma rifle out, blocking her path. She looked up at him as he looked over at her. Fear creeped into her chocolate colored eyes before he smiled at her, setting down his helmet he popped open a compartment on his left leg with his now empty hand and fished out a rusty old key.

"Show this to the guards when you get there and they will let you in. Rest up and just wait there for me okay?" She nodded as he handed her the key. Biting her bottom lip, she smiled shyly and softly thanked him before turning and fleeing to the monument. Darren inhaled deeply before letting it out. His stomach still felt like it had butterflies flying around in it but he dismissed that train of thought and moved along to his destination. Upon arriving to the museum, Darren glanced up and with one quick movement pushed the steel door open and was greeted by that all too familiar guttural roar.

The two power armored guards shared a astonished look as they simply couldn't believe their eyes. A lone person in black power armor was carrying a massive satellite dish on their back, blood coating their legs up to their knees. The guards didn't even try to stop him as he trudged past them into the makeshift base. Darren nodded to Christy who was quietly running her slim fingers through her daughters thick brown hair. Christy smiled up at him tiredly, her cocoa colored eyes filled with exhaustion. Stepping into the elevator Darren rose to the top of the giant monolith all the while listening to shitty elevator music. Ugh. When he reached the top Darren installed the dish and stepped back to admire his work. He had jury rigged a lot of shit but he finally finished it. Shaking his head he turned back to the elevator and rode down where he sat next to Christy and Susan, his armor creaking, on the stone bench. Popping off his helmet he turned his head over to Christy, an exhausted grin adorning his face as his eyes drooped close and he drifted off to the land of dreams. Christy herself eased out of her daughters grasp and padded over to Darren. Smiling to herself, she gave him a light kiss on the cheek as she settled herself between Susan and him. A content smile on her face as she joined her daughter and new friend in the land of bliss.

**AN: PLEASE READ! I think that this chapter went by very smoothly, what about you guys? Well, I have decided to take a new path for Darren in this story. I love the Lone WandererxAmata pairing but I was writing and this new love interest hit me like a ton of bricks so I decided to change paths. Just to give you guys an image for Christy just look up Lorraine Baines 1950 as its Marty McFly's mom from back to the future as I thought that was the perfect woman back in the day hehehe ;) I am really interested in what you guys want so please leave reviews and let me know your thoughts and such. And I will be adding Sergeant Dornan thanks to the review of Mister Headless! He may not appear for a while yet but he will be in here. Alright guys, read, review, and enjoy! Sincerely, ChainzOfThePast. **


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